Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), NSF NHERI 2025: The Influence of Fines in Non-Plastic Silicas with Varying Water Contents

The aim of this research is to determine how variations in saturation and kaolin content within silicas can affect the void ratio of those silicas when sedimented at one g of force, and when consolidated at 80 g of force. During experimentation, silica samples with varying levels of fine kaolin particles (0% to 50%) will be exposed to water of various levels past the liquid limit of the samples. Data collected from this experimentation aids efforts to properly model tailings dam failures within the centrifuge at the Center for Geotechnical Modeling. These efforts are aimed at determining the precise causes of tailings dam failures, in order to better prevent them and update the common practices of engineers tasked with building and monitoring these dams. Those who seek to study tailings dam failures and how critical state mechanics relate to landsliding in undrained conditions may find valuable information from this paper.